Runoff and drainage from streets, highways, parking lots, and other similar areas is of increasing concern. Often sediment, leaked fluids, rubber, metal particles, dirt, and other debris are washed off of an area by surface water and carried into existing drainage systems or the environment. The tainted water may be carried along existing drainage systems to treatment facilities already strained to capacity or may be expelled directly into natural bodies of water.
In the past, catch basins have been used to capture runoff and waste water from roadways, parking lots, and other areas. These drains often consist of grate-covered basins which collect the runoff and waste water. Runoff and waste water are then channeled into a local drainage system or into a more convenient location or facility which may appropriately deal with the waste water and runoff.
There is a long recognized need to perform some measure of primary treatment of wastewaters. By initially treating the wastewaters and runoff, people may not only help lessen the strain on existing treatment facilities, but may also prevent certain undesirable chemicals and waste from reaching the environment and may aid in the operation of existing water channeling and treatment infrastructure by limiting the amount of debris and waste that enter the infrastructure and either clog or otherwise cause damage to it.
In the past, filters have been added to traditional catch basins. These filters provide a basic filtering capability and generally filter larger debris and other contaminants from waste water and runoff. These filters, however, have several limitations. The first being that the catch basin must be large enough to contain the filtering apparatus. Often catch basins have been built small and/or shallow, either because of the physical requirements of the area being drained or because the trench was dug without consideration of the addition of filtering capacity. In such cases, a conventional catch basin filter is not only inconvenient but impossible for use.
What is needed, then, is an apparatus, method, and system of filtering waste water and runoff without the need for deep or large basins. Moreover, what is needed is an apparatus, method, and system of filtering that removes not only physical debris, but also hydrocarbons from the waste water and runoff.